SILVER

Legendary monarch Empress Elisabeth "Sissi" of Austria — the subject of five biopics in 2021 and 2022 alone — gets the full rock star treatment in Marie Kreutzer's (THE GROUND BENEATH MY FEET) stylishly iconoclastic take on a year in the life of one of history's most talked-about women. A 19th-century influencer, revered as a fashion icon and known for her vigorous health and fitness regimes, her skill as a fencer and horsewoman, her intellect, wit and lust for travel, Sissi is a woman both ahead of and constrained by her time. As she turns 40 in 1877, having eschewed her designated role as obedient heir-producer and ceremonial figurehead for years, the strain of maintaining her carefully crafted public image is pushing Sissi to the limit. A phenomenal Vicky Krieps (BERGMAN ISLAND, PHANTOM THREAD) — winner of the Un Certain Regard Best Performance award at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival — gives Empress Sissi her rightful place in the rock-and-roll royalty hall of fame, raising a middle finger to the official version of history, hearsay and myth with sly humor and a knowing smile. Official Selection, 2022 Cannes, Toronto, San Sebastián, New York, London and AFI European Union Film Showcase film festivals. DIR/SCR Marie Kreutzer; PROD Alexander Glehr, Johanna Scherz, Bernard Michaux. Austria/Luxembourg/Germany/France, 2022, color, 113 min. In English, German, French and Hungarian with English subtitles. NOT RATED

AFI Member passes accepted.